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“God's Outreach Saving People Everywhere Lovingly! (G.O.S.P.E.L)”

Ramesh C. Reddy
Publisher

SCRIPTURE:
"The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God." (Mark 1:1, NIV)

OBSERVATION:
I asked myself what are the claims made about Jesus?
1. The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ.
2. Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

INTERPRETATION:
I asked myself what does the 'The beginning of the Gospel about Jesus Christ' mean?
The Gospel is all about Jesus and Mark 1:1 is introducing me to the beginning of the Gospel where I will learn more about Jesus.

INTERPRETATION:
I asked myself what is the Gospel?
For this, I did something I rarely do when I study the Scriptures inductively.  I decided to look at John 3:16 which is called the Gospel in a nutshell by many. I realized everything following Mark 1:1 will make that much more sense to me when I reflect on John 3:16.

Let me share with you this Gospel in a nutshell as shared and taught by Bill Jones and Terry Powell but slightly revised by me. I thank Pastor Hugo of Pittsburgh Chinese Church-Oakland for introducing this to me during my training time.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16, KJV)

Observations:
I asked myself what do we learn from this most famous verse?
1. For God so loved the world
2. That He gave His only begotten Son
3. That whosoever believeth in Him
4. Should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Interpretation:
I asked myself why this verse is so famous?
The reason John 3:16 is so famous is because it summarizes the Gospel about Jesus Christ in four spiritual truths. If you understand these four spiritual truths, you will understand what the Gospel in a nutshell is about.

Observation/Interpretation:
POINT 1: FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD

I asked myself what does "For God so loved the world mean"?
Three things stood out: "God", "Loved", and "World"

GOD created the world and all that is in it including MAN to have a personal relationship with Him. He wants this relationship to be one of LOVE where GOD shows His LOVE to the people in this WORLD and where the people show their love to Him by their obedience.

And yet we see that people of the WORLD do not always have a personal relationship with GOD in obedience. If this is not happening, there is always a reason. In this case it is a three letter word called SIN. SIN is disobeying GOD or missing the mark. When someone is offended, it causes problems in a relationship. In this case, SIN causes a separation between GOD and MAN. This separation can cause MAN to perish.

Sin can also be seen as  'Soul Sickness' as Andrea and Jason Huang of Asian InterVarsity like to describe sin. This Soul Sickness is very dangerous to our lives to the point that even if we feel that we have been good 99% of the time, that 1% of the time will put a stain on our soul to make us sick. This sickness will eventually make us perish.

To put it in an analogy. Imagine someone gave you a bottle of water that you thought was 100% pure and distilled. That meant every drop in the bottle was supposed to be pure. Later on you come to find out that only 99% of the drops were pure water but the last 1% of the drop was pure cyanide.

Would you drink that water thinking to yourself that it's ok only 1% of the bottle is filled with cyanide and the rest of it is 99% pure water if you knew about it?

I don't know about you but I would not touch that water if I knew someone laced the water with cyanide.

An example Andrea and Jason used was if someone gave you a cup of milk that is 99% milk but then they spit in it, would you still drink it if you knew about it?

I don't know about you, but I won't.

And yet when we think about soul sickness, we expect God to accept us if we feel we are 99% good and only 1% bad. The 99% goodness cannot erase that 1% of badness. God is a Holy God and will not allow anyone with soul sickness to enter His presence so they eventually will perish unless something happens.

So I decided to look at the phrase "Should not perish"

POINT 4: "SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE"

I asked myself "why is PERISH even mentioned?"
What came to my mind is that MAN without having a relationship with GOD, will PERISH. The Bible says that if MAN dies physically while spiritually separated from GOD, MAN will spend eternity in a place called HELL. That is the bad news because of soul sickness leading man to HELL.

Then,  I asked myself, "why is ETERNAL LIFE mentioned?"
What came to my mind is, even though there is bad news, there is also GOOD NEWS. The GOOD NEWS is that GOD does not want MAN to perish and spend eternity in HELL. His desire is to have a personal relationship with MAN so that MAN and GOD can live together in a place called HEAVEN.

Now I know the BAD NEWS and I know the GOOD NEWS but how can the GOOD NEWS become a reality?

It is then that POINT 2 came to my mind.

POINT 2: "THAT HE [GOD] GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON"

The GOOD NEWS is GOD'S only BEGOTTEN SON.

Another word for GOOD NEWS is GOSPEL.

Another word for BEGOTTEN SON is JESUS CHRIST.

Mark 1:1 states, "The beginning of the GOSPEL about JESUS CHRIST, the SON OF GOD."

I asked myself, how did GOD give His only BEGOTTEN SON?
GOD sent JESUS CHRIST to the WORLD born of the Virgin Mary. JESUS CHRIST'S life can be explored in detail in the Gospel of Mark, Gospel of John, Gospel of Matthew, and Gospel of Luke and in the entire Old Testament and New Testament.

I asked myself, "how did GOD tackle the SIN [SOUL SICKNESS] problem?"
Again, the answer is JESUS CHRIST. GOD took care of the SIN problem by sending His only BEGOTTEN SON, JESUS CHRIST, who lived a perfect life then died on the cross shedding His precious cleansing blood to redeem humanity so MAN'S SIN could be forgiven. The amazing thing is after JESUS was dead and buried, JESUS rose from the dead on the third day to save, proving GOD has the power to save people from a destiny of torment that soul sickness can cause without intervention.

GOD did His part to show His LOVE for humanity and the WORLD by sending His only BEGOTTEN SON, JESUS CHRIST so that MAN should not PERISH but have EVERLASTING LIFE.

I told myself that is great to know this GOOD NEWS but knowing the GOOD NEWS is not enough if it is not put into practice.

In this case, I asked myself "How can the GOOD NEWS be put into practice?"

It is then that POINT 3 came to my mind.

POINT 3: "THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM"

I asked myself what does MAN need to do "not to PERISH" but have EVERLASTING LIFE with GOD?

1. It is not enough to simply know that GOD loves MAN.

2. It is not even enough to simply know that MAN's SIN will ultimately send MAN to HELL because a LOVING GOD cannot have SIN enter into His presence.

3. It is not even enough to simply know that "the beginning of the GOSPEL about JESUS CHRIST, the SON OF GOD" or "the beginning of the GOOD NEWS about JESUS CHRIST, the SON OF GOD"

4. It is only when MAN BELIEVES in CHRIST to be MAN'S LORD & SAVIOR that MAN does CROSS over the separation caused by MAN'S SIN and begins a personal relationship with GOD.  JESUS CHRIST becomes the BRIDGE for MAN to reach GOD where the CROSS on which JESUS CHRIST died became that BRIDGE to walk over to GOD.

JESUS CHRIST took away the SIN of the WORLD to those who accept His sacrifice on the CROSS and BELIEVE. It was does by His precious blood shed for you and me. Because they BELIEVE they have ETERNAL LIFE.

IMPLICATIONS:
I ask you now dear friend, why bother with the Gospel when you are enjoying life?Dear friend, enjoying life whether it is through partying, drinking, socializing, clubbing, etc will not take away the soul sickness that you and I have without intervention. All our enjoyment is like that 99% of pure water laced with 1% of cyanide or 99% pure milk laced with 1% of spit.  You would not accept it because you know something is wrong with both of those drinks. In the same way even if we are enjoying in different ways, God will not accept us without us being 100% pure. It can happen only 1 WAY.

You have seen the four spirituals truths explained based on John 3:16. You have seen the role of GOD, the role of MAN, the role of SIN (Soul Sickness), and the role of JESUS CHRIST. All of the roles have a part in imparting the Gospel about Jesus Christ to you. You need to understand each role to really understand the GOSPEL or GOOD NEWS. Once you have understood it, you have to act upon it so that you have the opportunity to have EVERLASTING LIFE. This is exciting to know!

Having EVERLASTING LIFE is not dependent on you first but on God because GOD initiated the transaction. You have to receive it!  God is the banker and initiating a deposit into your account not because of anything you can do on your own but because of His loving grace. He wants you to accept the deposit of Everlasting Life, He wants to give you. I was reminded of this by the book 'Transforming Grace' that Pastor Ed went through with me.

It is dependent on GOD and His willingness to send His only BEGOTTEN SON, JESUS CHRIST to fulfill His role. GOD has fulfilled His role for you and so has JESUS CHRIST fulfilled His role. Now it is time for you to fulfill your role of MAN.

You can do that right now friend, whether you are a man or woman. The promise of EVERLASTING LIFE is for you. It starts with BELIEVING but it does not end there because once you BELIEVE, oh the transformation you see in your life when Christ touches the hearts of those who come to Him, will be real that others will notice too.

When you really believe in Jesus, you will not remain the same person you were before knowing Jesus because slowly you will see Christ transform the hearts of those who come to Him by a process called SANCTIFICATION by His grace. This is His work in your life through the power of the Holy Spirit. He will change you from the inside out and others who knew you before you were a Christian, will wonder that there is something really different about you now that they notice compared to before. They will notice a change in you unless what you have  believed is a prosperity gospel or counterfeit gospel.  If you are not changing immediately and know that you love Jesus deeply, don't get discourage but keep depending on the Lord to change you. He loves you as you are and will continue to work in your life.

When we come to know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Personal Savior, life will be an enjoyment because His desires will become our desires. When we go to parties, clubs, drinking, etc we can enjoy them but also know what line not to cross. Even there, Christ will be on our minds because He is part of us.

 In essence, we let Christ direct all of our lives and we will have a desire to spend a lot of time where our non-Christian friends are so we can help them experience the love of Christ. Knowing Christ and believing Him will make us want to let others experience what we have when we truly have given our lives to Christ.

You will then come to understand "the beginning of the GOSPEL about JESUS CHRIST, the SON OF GOD," has so much to it.

You will be so excited and you need to look no further than the GOSPEL to KNOW about the ONE you BELIEVE in. The GOSPEL in a nutshell is JOHN 3:16 but the GOSPEL in its entirety is revealed by GOD  from GENESIS to REVELATION through inspiration. It is all about JESUS CHRIST and you will realize it has to do with HIS TRANSFORMING GRACE SANCTIFYING US DAILY BY HIS GRACE. 

Friend, do you know anything keeping you from placing your faith in CHRIST and crossing over to GOD right now?

Is it feeling like you do not have it together to come to Jesus?

Is it feeling that Jesus will never accept a person like you?

Is it feeling there are things in your life you have to first change before you come to Jesus?

Whatever the reasons and question you have, if you are feeling those things, then that is great. You are ready to give your soul sickness to Jesus. Jesus saves you by His transforming grace so it is great news when you feel you are unworthy to come to Jesus Christ for none of us are worthy to come to Christ and yet Christ has chosen us by what He accomplished on the Cross at Calvary. He did that because He loves you as you are. In Christ alone can we find our true worth! He will answer your doubts in His timing because He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

None of us on our own are worthy or can ever be worthy!  If we were worthy to come to Christ then there would be no reason for Jesus to have told the Pharisees, "it is the sick that need the doctor, I have not come for the healthy but the sick."

Do you know why Jesus said that?

It is because people of that day were upset that Jesus was hanging out with those they considered scum such as prostitutes, corrupt tax collectors, lepers, unclean people, etc. But Jesus' purpose all along has been to reach the lost, to come to save the lost.

So, when Jesus hung out with them and came to save them, can He not be willing to save you friend if you feel unworthy?

In other words, Jesus is making a point that those who think they are righteous cannot experience His grace because He has come for those who are unworthy.

An important implication in all this is if we are followers of Jesus Christ and have no non-Christian friends then we have to ask ourselves, why am I not reaching those that Jesus came to reach?

If you are in a fellowship or church that just caters to Christians to build them up but there is no outreach for those that do not know Jesus then there is a problem. Jesus was all about outreach.

If Jesus were walking the earth today, I feel Jesus would inhabit the clubs, the bars, etc to reach the lost. That is the heart of God and when Christ transforms us, His heart will impact our heart because it is His Spirit that works in us. That is so exciting to know!

Honestly, friend all of us are unworthy to come before GOD because of our SIN. But GOD in His LOVE for MAN, sent JESUS CHRIST for us to die for our sin and He came back to life to save us.

This is exciting to know and believe friend! I am excited that Jesus accepts me as I am to come to Him and He will take care of the rest.

Come to God as you are and receive what He offers to you through Jesus Christ. If you want to do that, you can pray the prayer below believing in your heart, for if you just say the words without belief then they are just words.

You have a golden opportunity to start this FALL of  2010  with the Lord Jesus on your side no matter what happened before. Let me assure you, the transformation you will see in your own life. When Christ touches the hearts of those who come to Him genuinely, there life will never be the same again, never be the same again. You will have a totally new perspective on life as you spend daily time with Him praying, reading & studying the Bible meditating on its precepts, and being plugged into a Bible believing fellowship of believers. Even as you face the storms of life, the winds cannot shake you for you will have a firm foundation on Jesus Christ, the Rock of Ages!

Even in your sufferings and pain, He will strengthen you as He has our own family when our beloved dad and my mom's beloved husband of 37 years passed away before Christmas of 2007. My mom and our family reflected that this August 9th would have been their 40th marriage anniversary.

Friend, if you would like to invite Jesus Christ to come and dwell in your heart and make Him a daily part of your life, you can this very moment. You will never be alone. You can claim God's promises for you in the Bible and see them come true, before your eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to wait for a special time to come to the Lord. You can come right now as you pray the prayer below, meaning it in your heart and believing. Yes, you can!

"God's Outreach Saving People Everywhere Lovingly!" (G.O.S.P.E.L)/"Why bother with the G.O.S.P.E.L when you are enjoying life?"

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, I am so excited that I learned today the beginning of the Gospel about you. I also learned the Gospel is the Good News.  I also learned the famous verse from John 3:16 that you shared with Nicodemus. Jesus, this verse shows how I can have Everlasting Life too. I want that life Jesus. So I come to you right now as I am and seek you with my whole heart believing in what you did for me. I believe that Father God sent you to earth for us, to die for our sin on a rugged cross where your blood was shed to save us! Then you came back to life and now sit at the right hand of the Father. 

I believe Jesus that my sin separated me from God and you became the bridge for me to cross over to God because of what you did on the cross for me. Thank you so much Jesus. Even when my sin made me so dirty on the inside and attacks of Satan have wounded me, you did not abandon me but came for me. I am never out of your love and never out of your reach. Thank you so much Jesus.

I do believe Father God for all that Jesus did for me. Jesus, I know  you care for me and laid down your life for me on the cross to give me new life as you shed your blood for me to wash away all my sins. Your Blood became the transfusion for those of us wounded by Satan. I accept the transfusion! Your blood heals all the wounded areas to give us a new life cleansing us of our sin. Thank you so much Jesus.

I want that new life that you offer so I turn to you now as a sheep that has gone astray and ask for your forgiveness of all my sins! I am unworthy but you love me as I am. Wash me in your precious cleansing blood. Thank you for washing me in your Blood.

Please come dwell in my heart and save me Jesus. Deliver me Oh Good Shepherd! Thank you for your free gift of grace! I know you can save me when I turn to you and ask you to be my Lord and Personal Savior.  I want you to stay with me Jesus in my heart and make my heart your home so I can always have you as my Lord and Personal Savior who will guide my path.  Please fill me with the Holy Spirit and lead me in the right paths when I go the wrong way so I can be led to green pastures. I love you Jesus! Thank you for making my heart your home, for living in me Jesus and I will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. 

I acknowledge you Jesus as my Lord and Personal Savior believing in my heart and that God raised you from the dead.  Thank you for being the Lamb of God. Thank you for being my Lord and Personal Savior and changing me. Thank you for filling me with the Holy Spirit and I believe you who began a good work in me will finish it to completion. I give myself to you, all that I am and ask you to make something of my life. Thank you Jesus so much. Thank you have heard my prayer and answered me. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

No matter what you feel in your heart, know that Jesus has come in and resides with you! You are not alone! To make your walk strong with the Lord, spend time in prayer talking to Him as you would to a friend. You don’t need special words to talk to the Lord. Spend time in His Word reading Psalms and turning them into prayer. Next allow God to heal you and speak to you through the Gospel of John or Gospel of Mark before moving on to other Books of the Bible! Slowly, let the Lord show you to which Scriptures He wants you to go to next. It is also important to be part of a body of believers to help you grow in the faith. Find a Bible believing church that preaches the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation proclaiming Jesus Christ our crucified and risen Lord who brings us hope, healing, and help!

As a professional, it is not too late to join a church! As a student, it is not too late to join a fellowship on campus this  FALL of 2010! May the Lord's presence and peace fill you with His love now and forever! Amen!

Friend, if you have prayed this prayer and meant it in your heart, you are a new creation in Christ and all old things are passed away and everything has become new! You may feel something or may not but don’t base it on feelings but base your new life in Christ on the promises of our Savior who will never leave you nor forsake you! Amen!

Spend time in His word and let the Lord speak to you! Start out in the Gospel of John! You can also check out the Gospel of Mark which are the devotionals I have been going through.  Learn from Jesus through study and prayer. Also find yourself a church fellowship and a college fellowship you can be part of where you can be part of a community of believers to supplement your own walk with the Lord. Let it be a Bible-believing and Bible-breathing church! Believe in Bible LIVE Eternally!

Feel free to email me at reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com if you want to meet to study the Bible, pray with, talk about Spiritual issues or whatever is on your mind! My number is 412-641-9426

"This is my work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)

Express Your View

2010 DEVOTIONALS:

“A.C.C.E.P.T.A.N.C.E is Adapting Caring Character Everyday Pointing Towards A Nurturing Compassionate Emmanuel!” (July 14, 10, 10:24 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

“F.R.I.E.N.D.S are Forever Readily Imparting Encouragement Now Dealing Sacrificially!” (July 07. 10, 1:22 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

“C.A.P.T.I.V.I.T.Y is Capturing A Person's Truth Imposing Vicious Ideas That Yammer!” (Tue, July 06, 10, 4:39 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

“I.N.D.E.P.E.N.D.E.N.C.E is 'Immanuel's Nurture Delivering Every Person Experiencing Now Deadly Evil, Nullifying Captivity Everywhere!” (Sun, July 04, 10, 8:13 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

“F.R.E.E.D.O.M is 'Forever Redeemer's Emancipation Everyday Delivering Omnipotent Message!” (Sat,, July 03, 10, 8:57 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

“P.A.S.T is People's Anxious Surrendered Torment!"(Thurs, July 01, 10, 5:03 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

"What do you do with your L.I.F.E to receive Eternal Life?" (June 15, 10, 6:55 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

"What is M.E.M.O.R.I.A.L Day to you?" (May 31, 10, 7:21 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

"Which commandment does your W.I.L.L break easily?" (May 26, 10, 6:23 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

"Why cannot you be G.O.O.D in life?" (May 24, 10, 7:00 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

"What do you do when you T.H.I.N.K about Jesus?" (May 21, 10, 7:51 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

"Whose life do you get I.N.V.O.L.V.E.D in?" (May 20, 10, 7:13 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

"What is the point of being a C.H.I.L.D?" (May 08, 10, 8:51 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 10:13-16: "Whose T.E.R.M.S do you follow in life?" (May 07, 10, 7:21 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 10:13-16: "What H.I.N.D.E.R.S you from coming to Jesus?" (May 04, 10, 8:23 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 10:13-16: "What does who do you V.A.L.U.E. in life tell about you?" (Mon, April 05, 10, 9:54 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

"What does the C.R.O.S.S mean to you?" (Sat, April 03, 10, 11:49 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

John 12: "Will you be the offspring of the S.E.E.D cultivated?" (Mon, March 29, 10, 10:09 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

John 12:3: "What costly S.A.C.R.I.F.I.C.E will you make for Jesus remembering His stinky/dirty feet?" (Sat, March 27, 10, 11:06 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Proverbs 23: "What  has  A.L.C.O.H.O.L done to you in life?" (March 20, 10, 9:17 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 10: "What do you do with an I.N.T.E.R.R.U.P.T.I.O.N in life?" (March 13, 10, 11:40 p.m.)

Mark 10:13: "Why S.H.A.R.E Jesus with others in life?" (March 09, 10, 4:59 a.m) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 10:13: "Why B.R.I.N.G Doggy Poo to Jesus?" (March 08, 10, 9:01 a.m) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 10: "When have you become an A.D.U.L.T.E.R.E.R in life and what now?" (Feb 24, 10, 9:31 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 10: "Why D.I.V.O.R.C.E the one you marry in life?" (Feb 22, 10, 12:15 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 10: "What do you do with what is P.E.R.M.I.T.T.E.D in your life?" (Feb 20, 10, 10:08 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

1 Corinthians 13: "How will you be someone's V.A.L.E.N.T.I.N.E using 16?" (Feb 13, 10,  12:16 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 10: "Who do you become an A.T.T.R.A.C.T.I.O.N to and why?" (Feb 05, 10, 9:43 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 9: "How can you be a S.A.L.T in someone's life today?" (Feb 04, 10, 11:27 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 9: "What do you help your friends E.S.C.A.P.E from?" (Feb 03, 10, 12:30 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 9: "Why bother with H.E.L.L in life?" (Feb 02, 10, 2:39 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 9: "When are you planning to cut your hand, foot, or eye to escape Hell?"" (Feb 01, 10, 1:41 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

 Mark 9: "Why heed Jesus' W.A.R.N.I.N.G in your life?" (Jan 30, 10, 12:41 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy